The Bow Braid | Cute Braided Hairstyles
May 09, 2012
I am always on the lookout for the next Waterfall Braid-type hairstyle!
About two weeks ago, a Twitter fan tweeted us a photo of a very intricately-laced bow braid hairstyle, and I thought the idea was so fun and unique! In fact, it was likely the most creative and cute hairstyle I have seen since the Waterfall Braid! So… I sat down to figure it out, but after many attempts I wasn’t having much luck at all. Close, but nothing worth posting…
Another fan, Katrina on Facebook, posted her version along with a link to a low resolution Russian YouTube video showing the exact technique. The video was at times hard to follow, and it does not show a finished hairstyle, but it provided me with just enough info to be able to master the braid! With that, I am now ready to teach you all!
You can use The Bow Braid in pretty much any hairstyle as long as there is a three-stranded French or Lace Braid involved. It will work on short hair, medium hair, long hair, layered hair, hair with bangs, combos, etc.
In the tutorial, I show you how to do Bow Braid Ponytails, but I also show you on myself and the other daughters some finished looks for a braided headband, diagonal braid, and lace braid.
Items Needed: A brush, rat-tail comb, spray bottle, hairspray or pomade, a hairpin (not a bobby pin), and a few hair elastics.
Time Requirement: 10-15 minutes, depending on the hairstyle you choose.
Skill Level: Hard
Step-by-Step Instructions:
- Begin by braiding a section of your hair. You can use a lace braid or a 3 strand French braid. Remember you will need another ½ inch section of hair parted next to your braid to create the bows.
- Thread the hairpin, loop end first, through a section of your braid to prepare it to pull through hair for the bow.
- Take a small section of hair from the ½ inch parted section and create a loop with your fingers.
- Thread the loop of hair through the hairpin and grab loop of hair with left hand while gently tugging the hairpin back through your hair with your right hand.
- As you pull the hairpin out of the braid it will begin to form the other half of the bow. Gently tug the hairpin until you like the look of the second loop and then remove it from hair. You should now have one competed bow that runs through the braid.
- Repeat Steps 1-5 all the way down the braid until you run out of hair.
{You can see in the video that I mixed in the remaining tails of the bows back into the next strand. It may be easier and less “messy” to simply lay the tails alongside the French Braid and then bring down the next section of hair over the top for the next loop. As you finish the braid, most of the tails will be covered by the hair from the top. It all depends on how you want the bow braid to look.}
Happy Hairdoing!
* Note from Mindy: Don’t forget to follow us on BlogLovin, a new easy-to-use blog reader!
Authentic Katniss Braid | Hunger Games Special Guest
April 17, 2012
Several months ago we uploaded our 1st version of the Katniss Braid, long before the movie came out. The movie was a blockbuster smash, and everyone was amazed at the hairstyles seen throughout the film!
Right after the premier, Linda Flowers, the lead hairstylist on The Hunger Games movie set, began searching the internet to see what people were saying about her hairstyles.
In fact, Linda was so amazed at how the Katniss Braid was becoming a “symbol”, so much that teen girls worldwide and their friends were wearing the braid to see the movie in theaters! She found us on YouTube and recognized that CuteGirlsHairstyles had a huge hand in helping teach literally thousands of our fans how to do the braid!
As such, Linda reached out to us and offered to give me a personal tutorial of the many Hunger Games hairstyles over Skype!
During our tutorial, I quickly saw that the Katniss braid had a little more prep work to it than I had originally thought! Linda showed me how she added the texture into Jennifer Lawrence’s hair “before” she created the Katniss braid {something I had not figured out}.
She uses a tool called the TopStyler® {by InStyler®} to add volume and stranded twists into the diagonal Dutch braid. From the leaked photos prior to the premier, many thought that there was maybe one more strand added into the braid… and this was the reason why. You can see exactly how to create this texture by viewing the tutorial below.
I appreciate that the TopStyler uses a slow and uniform transfer heat to curl the hair, rather than the immediate super hot heat a curling wand provides that only heats the outside of the strand. It also allows for the curl to stay in much longer.
This is the exact look Katniss wore throughout the arena scenes in the movie, taught to CuteGirlsHairstyles personally by the one who created it… Linda Flowers! Hope you enjoy it!
{You can find the TopStyler at Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Ulta, or Amazon online.}
Enjoy!
Items Needed: Brush, rat-tail comb, water bottle, hairspray, TopStyler, 1 hairband, quiver of arrows {optional}
Time Requirement: 30 minutes {approximately, including heat time}
Skill Level: Hard
If you enjoyed this tutorial, please feel free to Facebook share it, tweet it, pin it, “whatever-you-want” it!
Happy Hairdoing!
* Note from Mindy: Don’t forget to follow us on BlogLovin, a new easy-to-use blog reader!
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
FTC Disclosure: I was provided this TopStyler® tool free of charge by InStyler® for review purposes only. No other forms of compensation were provided to CuteGirlsHairstyles. All opinions of the product are strictly mine, and results may vary.
Simple Braid with Micro-Braid Accents | Braided Hairstyles
April 08, 2012
I saw a version of this super-cute micro-braid accented hairstyle on Pinterest last week, and pinned it. Since then, it has received over 330 re-pins.
{We tried as hard as we could to find what website the style originated from, to give proper credit, but the original photo was uploaded directly to Pinterest with no tie to a user.}
After seeing the photo, my #3 daughter pleaded with me to do a tutorial of this braided hairstyle on her, so we could share with all of you! How can I resist those batting eyelashes???
This hairstyle uses a Simple Side Braid, only I included two microbraids in two of the strands. Please be sure you follow my braiding procedure exactly to ensure that the micro braids lay on top {rather than be hidden}.
The style of braiding you will need to use will be similar to the under-over stranding in a Dutch braid.
I also included a Hair-Wrapped Ponytail, to give the braid an even more sophisticated look.
We have worn this braided hairstyle twice during the week and moms always give a “double-take” for a closer look, asking how I did it. They are amazed when they see how really easy it is!
Since this is a simple braid, you can pretty much combo it with any number of accents… like twistbacks, or incorporate the braid into a bun.
Enjoy!
Items Needed: Brush, rat-tail comb, water bottle, two clear elastics, one hairband, hairspray {if desired}
Time Requirement: 5-7 minutes
Skill Level: Easy
Happy Hairdoing!
* Note from Mindy: Don’t forget to follow us on BlogLovin, a new easy-to-use blog reader!
Comment on this post »Wrap-Around Dutch Pancake Braid | Cute Braided Hairstyles
April 01, 2012
* Note from Mindy: I know the title of this hairstyle will likely make some of you hungry! *joke* It sounds like something you could order from a corner bakery! Mmmmmmm!!! {If you like this hairstyle, please feel free to “FB Share” it, “Blog” it, “Tweet” it, “Pin” it, “Whatever-You-Want” it!}
These Pancake Braids {braids that are flattened by simply tugging on the elbows of the braids}, led us to create this flattened version of our Crown Braid…
My oldest daughter wore this braided hairstyle on the Anderson Cooper talk show in NYC last month, and we received so many comments from people all day long.
We knew we had to film this hairstyle tutorial when people stopped us all the time to ask how we did it!
{You will have to forgive my daughter’s pink ears and cheeks in the video, as the previous day their school held a Renaissance Fair outside on a sunny afternoon!}
Enjoy!
Items Needed: Brush, rat-tail comb, spray bottle, one hairband, hairspray {if desired}
Time Requirement: 5-10 minutes
Skill Level: Medium
Happy Hairdoing!
* Note from Mindy: Don’t forget to follow us on BlogLovin, a new easy-to-use blog reader!
Comment on this post »